2417 Wall 5

The project is located at the edge of the old town of Arboç, on a very small plot -12 meters deep and 11.5 meters wide- that had housed an old television repair shop. The project consisted of converting the old premises into a single-family dwelling, adding two new floors and a habitable roof.

The main challenges were marked by the geometry of the plot, the north-south orientation and the immediate proximity of neighboring buildings. In addition, the position of the scale was already prefixed by the pre-existence, strongly conditioning the distribution.

The proposal starts from a courageous decision: to invert the classic program. The ground floor is destined to parking and access; the second floor concentrates the night area with three bedrooms, a study and a bathroom; and the second floor is reserved for the day area, open and bright, with living room, dining room and kitchen linked to a terrace. Finally, the roof is transformed into a garden, providing the outdoor space that the plot did not allow on the ground floor.

In order to provide spatial quality to each level, interior walls have been incorporated to ensure natural ventilation and lighting, making it possible for a compact building to be both porous and habitable.

At the energy level, the project applies passive strategies (insulation, high performance fuses, natural ventilation) combined with efficient installations, resulting in a contemporary dwelling that takes advantage of the pre-existence and resolves a complex plot with simple and clear solutions. An intervention that contributes to recover the old town with new family housing and that has been possible thanks to the good predisposition and courage of the clients.